By Aleeka Noble
The roll-out of new and expanded shuttle bus routes this semester is drawing complaints from students who say drivers are often too early or too late, creating a headache for their morning and evening commute to classes.
“Drivers seem to leave before the scheduled time or don’t show up for their trips,” said junior Jada Barlow, who rides the Uptown Circular shuttle. “I could recall one time waiting for the 7:20 p.m. shuttle and it never came. It came back around at 7:30 p.m. when it was supposed to leave at 7:35 p.m. Now I just try to go out to the stop ten minutes early in order to not miss the bus.”
Director of Parking & Mass Transit Jason Jones said drivers should wait at the stops until their scheduled time for departures but they are still getting used to the new times and shifts. As time goes on, students should see some improvements, he said.
Earlier this semester, the department changed 15 drivers' schedules due to the discontinuation of the former Patroon Creek line and added more bus times, new routes and a new destination shopping shuttle.
“Transit will never be 100 percent. It’s a bus service, we do as best as we can,” Jones said.
Jones advises students to arrive at the bus stop three or four minutes earlier and use real-time GPS services rather than the published schedule.
To access real-time GPS services, visit https://ualbany.alpinesystemsinc.com/. For published bus schedules, visit https://www.albany.edu/pmts/bus_schedules.php.